The grieving husband who paid for a young couple’s dinner last week because they reminded him of his recently deceased wife has modestly described his kindhearted act as really a 'selfish' gesture so he would feel better.

Lee Ballantyne, who lost his wife of 43 years to cancer on December 30, was dining alone in Chico’s, an Italian restaurant in Barrie, Ontario, when he spotted the young couple - he hasn't revealed their name - who caused him to reminisce about the good times with his late wife Carol.

Ballantyne, 65, told Mail Online that he has been ‘astonished’ by the overwhelming response to his actions last Tuesday night which he said he did to try and make himself feel better.

Lee Ballantyne, the grieving husband who paid for a young couple's dinner last week in Barrie, Ontario, because they reminded him of his recently deceased wife Carol, has modestly described his kind-hearted act as a 'selfish' gesture so he would feel better

‘I believe my gesture of paying the bill was selfish on my part. I wanted to feel good, and I did,’ he explained.

Ballantyne was the only customer in the restaurant at the time when the couple came in and sat two tables away from him.

He admits to conflicting emotions at seeing two people so clearly in love and enjoying each other’s company.

Share this article

‘Watching them smile and chat as they studied the menu at first made me envious.

'But the longer I watched, the more I came to realize they are on the same journey as Carol and I experienced over the years. And they seem to be assured of many happy times along the way.’

As
well as paying for their meal, Lee wrote the couple a touching note on a napkin.

Ballantyne was dining alone at Chico's, an Italian restaurant in Barrie, when he spotted the young couple who caused him to reminisce about the good times with his late wife

Carol Ballantyne, who was 62, died over the holidays after being diagnosed with lung cancer in September and a long battle with Lupus

‘You don't know me, but my beautiful
wife of 43 years died last week. Tonight I dined alone for the first
time. You remind me of us many years ago. Please allow me to buy your
dinner. It will put a smile on Carol's face and make me happy... for
now,’ he wrote.

The grateful young couple managed to track Ballantyne down via their waitress and called him later that night.

Ballantyne has refused to reveal who they are, 'it's a private moment between us,' he has said.

But he did reveal that they’ve promised to take him out to dinner to pay him back for his act of kindness.

Tarik Topic, a bartender at Cicco’s, was working on the night when the 'private' moment occurred and told Mail Online that the woman cried when staff told them that Ballantye had picked up their tab.

He described the mystery couple as being in their early 30s and said they had a young daughter, less than five-year-old, along with them.

Initially Ballantye's waitress wasn’t sure what he wanted her to do but when he explained that it was a Pay It Forward courtesy all the staff felt ‘very touched by the heartfelt gesture’.

Lee Ballantyne was grieving for his late wife Carol, but after seeing two young people so clearly in love at a local Italian restaurant he decided to pay their bill to feel better and so left them the note below...

Ballantyne's oldest son Jason, 41,
recalls that his father has always been a generous tipper and that it is
one of the few things that ‘used to drive mum nuts.’

‘He
would always look to give 25-30 percent and she would always tease him
and say “Maybe the service wasn’t that great,”’ recalls Jason who, along
with his wife and daughter, lives just minutes from his father in
Barrie.

As the eldest son, Jason feels a
sense of responsibility to look out for his dad now that he is living
alone, but he has also told his father that he isn’t going to be calling
him all the time to check that he’s alright.

‘I’ve told him he has a standing invite any time he wants to come and see my family,’ said Jason.

He
also said his father is coping as well as can be expected since his
wife Carol passed away last month, that he is keeping busy and has had
lots of support from colleagues and friends.

Jason
told Mail Online that the family have been very encouraged by the
feedback they've received since news of his father touching gesture was
reported in the media - and that it is a fitting tribute to his mom, who
died last month.

Happy family: Lee Ballantyne, pictured top right, with his late wife Carol, has three sons - including Jason, top left, and five grandchildren

‘It
is nice that a lot of people now know about mom. She wasn’t a celebrity
or a politician, she lived a simple life, as a housewife and a mother.
As I told my daughter this is how we keep her memory alive,’ he said.

According to Jason, his mother labored most of her adult life with illness and endured more than 20 surgeries.

‘Carol had been
battling Lupus for five years and some other related health issues when
she was diagnosed with lung cancer in September,’ said husband Lee.

‘The
memory of the last three months is not one I care to dwell on. The
thing I remember the most is her fear of never seeing her family again.'

The couple have three sons and five grandchildren.

'She died in my arms at Hospice Simcoe, an amazing place here in Barrie,’ said Lee.

Jason recalls that despite his mother's illnesses, she was always more concerned about other family members.

Carol and Lee Ballantyne were high school sweethearts who married in 1970, she was diagnosed with lung cancer last Sept and died on Dec 30

Jason Ballantyne, pictured left as a baby and right in more recent times, said that his mother labored most of her adult life with illness and endured more than 20 surgeries

‘Even with all these issues she would always ask “are you doing okay?”’ he said.

Jason has battled mental illness much of his life and has been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Anxiety Disorder.

In
the past he has been hospitalized because of his condition, but he is
currently working his way back to full health and said he is very happy
that his mom got to see him back in a healthy place before she died.

‘Even when I was a teenager and we didn’t understand what my problem was she never gave up on me,’ he said.

His father Lee, a former journalist, has said he has been impressed by how their story has captured
people's imagination and encouraged them to read Jason's blog which
not only chronicles his mother's struggle with cancer, but his own with
depression.

Carol Ballantyne died in her husband's arms at Hospice Simcoe in Barrie on Dec 30

'Since
all this happened, he has had over 5,000 hits. People are leaving
really positive comments about his efforts to overcome depression.